Peacekeepers depart Yunnan for Lebanon

The second echelon of the 19th group of Chinese peacekeeping troops being sent to Lebanon departed from Yunnan province this week, according to military authorities.

The officers, 205 from the People's Liberation Army, left the provincial capital of Kunming on Tuesday after a 14-day quarantine. All were tested for coronavirus, with negative results for everyone.

The first echelon of 205 troops arrived in Lebanon on July 28. They started their peacekeeping tasks on Aug 14 after completing a quarantine period in the country.

The second echelon of the 18th group returned to China on Wednesday.

To date, more than 6,500 Chinese personnel have been deployed in UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon.